


I Would Spend Eternity With You

by A_Member_Of_The_Agency_Bakugou



Category: Banana Fish (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst with a Happy Ending, Ash Lynx Needs A Hug, M/M, Near Death Experiences, Okumura Eiji Needs a Hug, Shounen-ai
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-04
Updated: 2020-08-09
Packaged: 2021-03-06 03:55:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,426
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25716892
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/A_Member_Of_The_Agency_Bakugou/pseuds/A_Member_Of_The_Agency_Bakugou
Summary: A rewrite of the ending of episode 24
Relationships: Ash Lynx & Okumura Eiji, Ash Lynx/Okumura Eiji
Comments: 14
Kudos: 52





	1. Ash, I am very worried because I haven't seen you and I don't know if you are okay.

**Author's Note:**

> I decided to rewrite the ending to Banana Fish because the ending left me feeling empty and sad. So I'm coping with this. Please enjoy.

Eiji was leaving tomorrow. He was going back to Japan; Eiji knew Ash was aware he was leaving, but he had yet to visit him in the hospital. Eiji knew he was hurting. Ash was terrified to put him in danger, and even, after all, they went through together, even after Eiji was shot. Ash was still pushing him away. Eiji just wanted to hold Ash in his arms once more. He wanted to protect Ash from the world. As much as he hated being cooped up in the condo, he wished he could be back there. Back in their house. Where he took care of Ash, and they didn't have any responsibility or consequences. In the condo, they were safe. But, Ash had other plans. He wanted to cut things off with Eiji even if it was painful for both of them. Eiji knew Ash loved him, and throughout his time in the hospital, he realized he loves Ash.

Ash Lynx. A man with such a cold exterior, but chose to love and protect Eiji Okumura. A nobody college student that wanted to learn how to fly again. Eiji did learn how to fly again with Ash’s help, but he was scared that leaving Ash would clip his wings again. Ash taught him how to love and to stop blaming himself. He brought out all the beautiful and confident parts of Eiji; parts Eiji was terrified of losing. He just had to accept the fact he was going to lose his wings and his love. He was going to be an ocean away from Ash.

Eiji poured all his feelings of love and devotion into a letter for Ash. He needed to speak to him again. To reach out to Ash, even if it wasn't in person. Ash Lynx deserved the world, but it seemed like Eiji was not going to be the one to give it to him. He finished the letter and sealed it within the envelope. Ash owned his entire soul, even if he didn't provide his to Eiji. Ash would forever be his best friend, and Eiji would see him again. Ash had no say in the matter; it was too early to say sayonara to him. He pressed a soft kiss to the envelope and hoped his love would reach Ash before it was too late for them both.

Ash watched Sing run off and moved his eyes down to the letter in his hands. The handwriting was most definitely Eiji’s. The letters' delicate curve of his name; Ash could feel the love and kindness pouring out of the envelope. He gazed at the letter with an emptiness in his heart. Ash wanted nothing more to be on the plane to Japan with Eiji. He wanted to see where Eiji grew up. Meet Eiji's parents and see how alike they are to Eiji. He wanted to stroll the beauty of Japan with Eiji without fear of being shot. Ash wanted to forget his bloodstained hands and the weight of his gun.

He knew he could try with Eiji. He could try to become a better person and cross over to another world. But, he knew he would be an outsider in Eiji's life. Eiji grew up surrounded by love, because that's all he's ever known. Ash grew up in a cruel world where no one could be trusted. Even knowing this, Ash wanted to go with Eiji. He wanted to take his shot at happiness, but with him around, Eiji would always be in danger. Ash couldn't put Eiji through pain again, and he never wanted to see him in a hospital bed again. He wanted to see Eiji fly. The only way Eiji would be able to fly would be away from him. So Ash never visited him in the hospital even though his heart yearned to see his love again. Just like Ash would let him go back to Japan without Ash.

As Ash read the letter, he realized that Eiji loved him back. Eiji, the kindest man Ash had ever met, was willing to give his soul to Ash, a dirty murderer. Eiji refused to give up on him even though Ash had pushed him away time and time again. If Eiji went back to Japan, his heart would still be consumed by its love for Ash. It dawned on Ash that there was no running away. Eiji would die a thousand times over to see Ash again, and Ash would do the same. They were soulmates in a loveless world. And Ash had left Eiji alone when he needed him the most. Ash had tried not to hurt Eiji, but leaving him behind hurt him even more.

Ash had to go to Eiji. He had to admit his feelings for him. He wanted to kiss the breath out of Eiji until all Eiji could comprehend were his lips pressed against his. He wanted to hold Eiji, watch movies on the couch cuddled up under a blanket, and go on dates with him. Ash wanted to make Eiji his, and as long as Eiji was willing to give himself up, Ash would take him.

Ash held the letter to his pounding heart. There was no leaving Eiji behind. Even if neither of them belonged in the other's world, they resided in their own together. Ash set off sprinting towards the airport. He had to at least see Eiji off and promise to visit him in Japan. Or maybe he'll buy a ticket to the next flight out and meet up with Eiji. Ash knew he couldn't bear to be thousands of miles away from Eiji. For once, Ash was going to try to be happy even if, in the end, he suffered for it. Ash wanted to make more memories with Eiji to cover up his past. He was going to start over with the love of his life.

He was so caught up in his plan that he didn't even notice the hooded man bumping into him until it was too late. The figure plunged the knife right into his chest. Ash came to a stop and gripped his wound and stared at his attacker. Blood slowly trickled onto his hand onto the sidewalk. "Why did you let your guard down?" Lao sneered, "you never do. Why now?"

He pulled his gun out and shot him. Lao stumbled into the wall and slid down, "no hard feelings. I can't let you take Sing away." Ash stood panting, hunched over his injury. He stared at Lao's dying figure with disinterest. The universe had a way of fucking him over. Ash Lynx was destined to suffer. He stumbled away from Lao clutching Eiji's letter with gentleness he didn't think he possessed. Ash was tired. He was tired of hurting and being used by creepy old men. Lao provided him with an escape. Ash could finally be put to rest knowing Eiji was safe from Dino and the mafia. Banana Fish was no longer a problem; he didn't need to get revenge anymore. Ash Lynx could peacefully go to sleep. Ash thought of Eiji, how ten seconds ago, he was ready to give up his way of life for him. Now Ash was willing to give up his life to just get a break. Maybe it was fate. Eiji was leaving, and Ash was dying.

Ash smiled bitterly. His love letter stained with his blood dripping from a nonfatal wound. Ash had had worse injuries if he wanted to could live, but did he want to? Was this really the way Ash wished to die? Alone? Without confessing to Eiji? If he died here, he would never hold Eiji again. He would never eat the food Eiji makes for him. He would never experience the giddy feeling he gets when Eiji softly smiles at him. He would never see Eiji again. His death would break Eiji. Was he really willing to be that selfish? The ugly part of him screamed yes, but deeper down, a larger part of him refused. Eiji deserved better than him that much was true, but Eiji was choosing him, and that's all he needed. Ash started to run to the nearest hospital, he needed to save himself for Eiji's sake.

His trip to the hospital felt like hours. As he continued, his legs grew weaker, and his body became colder, but his heart refused to give up. He still had to give his soul to Eiji. His hope and love pushed him on. The doors of the hospital seemed miles away as Ash staggered over to them. Finally, the doors to his salvation were directly in front of him. Ash stared up at them and smiled, through the doors he saw Eiji with his arms outstretched towards him. "Eiji," he mumbled, he took his last step as his eyes rolled back into his skull and hit the cold sidewalk of the hospital. Ash took his last breath with a smile on his face, and Eiji's letter pressed to his heart as if the words would mold into his very being.


	2. You said to me before, "we live in different worlds," but I am not sure if that is true

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji gets off the plane and meet up with his family.

Eiji sat on his flight to Japan, trying to stop his mind from wandering to Ash, but the more he tried to ignore his thoughts, the more Ash popped into his head. He thought of Ash's hair and how soft it was when he stroked his fingers through it. The way Ash's shampoo smelt, it was a mixture of cheap drug store smell and spring flowers blooming. Eiji thought of Ash's emerald eyes that he had seen gleam with too many unshed tears. The pain held locked within those eyes was unmistakable. Eiji felt like a lost child if he stared for too long into the eyes. They hid a maze of emotions; Eiji wished Ash trusted him more. He wished Ash had opened up a little bit more. Eiji wanted to be the one to free Ash from his pain; he wanted to make Ash's life better, but as his flight continued. He grew further from New York City and further from Ash Lynx. 

  
Eiji had a feeling of dread sitting on his chest. It felt like a fifty-pound weight on his lungs, making it harder to breathe and think straight. All he could think about was Ash. Ash, the beautifully complex boy he met by chance. The man he had fallen in love with when he first laid eyes on him. Eiji was scared he would never see Ash again, no matter how hard he wanted Ash to be waiting for him. He had this feeling that something was very wrong. He needed to make sure Ash was alright, but he was 33,000 miles above the sea and 14 hours until he landed in Japan. He had a long time before he would be able to reach out to Ash. 

  
Eiji took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. Ibe-san placed his hand on Eiji's shoulder and gave him a knowing smile. He knew how hard it was for Eiji to leave Ash behind. Ibe-san rubbed his shoulder comfortingly. "It's okay, Ei-chan, you'll see him again," Eiji just nodded his head and looked out the window. He watched the clouds and felt calmed by their presence. Eiji wished Ash was sitting beside him so they could both gaze at the clouds together. Eiji reminisced about Ash, his eyes slowly becoming heavier and heavier. For a moment, he mistook Ibe-san's gentle hand as Ash's, but he knew better to play into that fantasy. Eiji had left Ash behind in New York. Eiji promised to check in on Ash once the plane landed. 

  
"Eiji," Ash was smiling up at him where he was sitting reading the paper while Eiji was making breakfast for the both of them. Ash stood and walked up behind Eiji and put his arms around him. Eiji leaned into his warm embrace and happily sighed. The shrimp-avocado salad he was making was forgotten. 

  
"Eiji," Ash called his name as he hooked his chin over Eiji's shoulder. His weight was comforting to Eiji, it made him feel protected. Eiji turned his head and gave Ash a chaste kiss on his cheek. Ash nuzzled into his neck, almost purring like a kitten. Eiji reached a hand up and soothed Ash's bed head down. Ash pushed back into his hand, enjoying the attention. Eiji tilted his head and leaned in to give Ash a good morning kiss. Ash moved his head closer. Their lips went to connect.

  
"Ei-chan!" Eiji woke with a start to Ibe-san shaking him awake. "Ash?" Eiji groggily called out, Ibe-san bit back a grimace. "No, it's just me. The plane is about to land, gather your stuff up." Eiji slowly stretched his aching limbs and back. The small confinement of the plane seats had left a crick in his neck. He went to grab his bag he had sitting with him; outside the window, he saw the wide-scaping city of Tokyo. Even though he was happy he was finally home, he couldn't bring himself to say it because he knew this wasn't his home anymore. His home was wherever Ash was. They were supposed to return to Japan together; it would be the start of their beautiful life. 

  
Ibe-san helped him sit up into his wheelchair. The dull ache of his gunshot wound had been forgotten back in New York. Eiji groaned as he worked his limbs that he hadn't touched for 14 hours. "Are you feeling alright," he met Ibe-san's concerned gaze with a soft smile. "I'm fine, Ibe-san, don't worry about me." Ibe-san made a disapproving noise but didn't push it any further. As Ibe-san pushed him out of the aisle, he looked at the people he passed. Everyone looked exhausted from the flight and little grumpy about getting up. Eiji giggled when he thought about Ash getting up after this flight. He thought about Ash's head peaking out of the blanket while he glared at whoever got him up. Once he realized it was Eiji, his gaze would soften, and any grumpiness would be gone. Eiji gave a disheartened smile; Ash wasn't with him. Ibe-san looked like he wanted to comment on Eiji's laugh, but chose not to. Eiji wished he could curl up in a ball and forget about everything. He wanted to board the next 14-hour flight back to New York, and dream the entire way of Ash.

  
Ibe-san rolled him to the baggage claim area of the Tokyo Airport. His family stood in front of it, and for the first time since he had been admitted to the hospital, he gave a real smile. When they saw Eiji and Ibe-san, they ran over. Eiji was gathered up in his mother's arms. "We were so worried about you, Ei-chan!" his mother crooned into his shoulder. Eiji pressed his face into his mother's shoulder and tried to keep his tears at bay, but his mother's comforting presence made it harder. She held him out by the shoulders. He met her bloodshot eyes with his own; all at once, it dawned on her the rejection her son was experiencing. "Oh, baby," she cried before she smothered him in a hug again. "Mama," Eiji sobbed out into his shoulder, "I left him behind." His mother shushed him and whispered, "it's alright" over and over to him. Eiji's father had slowly wrapped himself around Eiji's shoulder, and Eiji could feel his shuddering breathing against him. 

  
They stood wrapped around each other in the middle of the airport until all of Eiji's tears had subsided. His father gripped him by the shoulders to get a good look at him, while his mother wiped all the traces of his tears away. Ibe-san stood with his little sister just behind them. His little sister for once was unusually quiet. "We're glad you're back," his father said with a bit of a smile. Eiji returned his smile with his own watery smile. "Onii-chan," a shrill voice called out; he turned to his sister as she crashed into his arms. "You jerk! You made me worry so much about you! You better not be leaving anytime soon. Okay?" Eiji chuckled at his sister, even if he complained about her, he missed her and his family very much. She pulled away and stood beside his mother. 

  
All their eyes were turned to stare at him, Eiji felt himself dwindle at their gazes. "We just have to grab our bags, and you all can head home," Ibe-san said from behind him. Before he could go to push Eiji over to the baggage claim, Eiji asked, "can I see your phone? Or have some money for the payphones? I need to check up on Ash." Ibe-san stared disapprovingly but gave Eiji his phone. "Don't get your hopes up with him answering," Ibe-san and his family walked away to give him some privacy. Once they were out of earshot, he dialed the number he knew by heart. As he listened to the dial tone, his heart was beating rapidly against his chest. He was terrified it would burst at any minute. "The number you have called is not-"Eiji hung up quickly. Tears misted over his eyes again, but he blinked them away. He scrolled through Ibe-san's contacts until he found Max's. 

  
The same feeling returned as he listened to the unnerving ringing. After what felt like years, Max picked up. "Ibe-san," Max's tired voice called out to him. "How's Ash?" Eiji didn't go to correct Max, he assumed he would realize it was him and not Ibe-san. "I didn't want to tell you, but…Jesus, he was stabbed! Ash was stabbed…" Max's voice droned out all Eiji could hear was a blank ringing in his ears. His mind felt fuzzy as he realized the severity of Max's words. Eiji thought he got over blaming himself, but guilt hit him full force. He should have been there with Ash. Why did he have to leave him behind? Eiji should have stayed with Ash, just like he promised. He promised to stay by his side forever, but he broke his word without a second thought. Eiji thought Ash wasn't in danger anymore, but that was naïve thinking when Ash ruled downtown. Ash Lynx would always have enemies in this world. "Ibe-san! Ibe-san," Max's incessant voice called him back to reality. "It's Eiji," he choked out, "Is he okay? Please tell me he's alive," he fell into heaving sobs. "Calm down, Eiji. I'm so sorry you had to find out this way; I thought I was talking to Ibe-san-" 

  
"Is he alive?" Eiji interrupted, desperation creeping into his voice.

  
"Yes, but…" Max trailed off.

  
"What?" Eiji cried out, "Just tell me! I can take it!"

  
"He lost a lot of blood, he's alive, but…he's not in good condition." Max's voice was almost a whisper. Guilt ate Eiji alive; he needed to return to Ash's side.

  
"Will he make it?" Eiji sounded pitiful, he was pleading to Max as if he had a say in Ash's life. 

  
"The doctors don't know, they put him in a coma, but he needs you. Eiji, he needs you more than ever. Ash is fighting for his life right now, and he needs to know you're with him." Max begged with him as if Eiji wouldn't want to go back by himself. Eiji saw Ibe-san and his family walking back to him. 

  
"I made him a promise, and I don't intend to break it," Eiji hung up the phone and went to hand it back to Ibe-san. Ibe-san took the phone and stared at him in confusion. Eiji planted his feet firmly on the ground and heaved himself up. "Woah, easy! Get back into the chair! You're hurt!" Were the various cries he heard from his family. He grabbed his bag out of Ibe-san's hands and carefully slung it onto his back. 

  
"It's Ash. I'm going back to New York."


	3. We are from different countries, and our skin and eyes are different colors.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eiji goes home

Eiji doesn't remember walking away from his family, or buying his ticket, or even boarding the plane. He felt like a ghost floating through his own actions. The only thing he truly remembers is the ringing alarm blasting in his ears. All he could hear was the steady ringing. It was comforting; it gave him something to focus on amid his madness. His eyes were glossed over, tears were unable to fall, but they remained in his eyes as a reminder of his pain. They were staring lost out the plane window; the clouds and the sky mere blurs in his eyes. For once, Eiji felt frozen. He felt like he couldn't express himself, and in a way, he was terrified too. He thought if he did, that would make Ash's condition more real than what it was. Eiji was scared he was going to lose his first and only love. He kept repeating in his head that, "Ash would be okay," or he tried to dismiss his feelings for Ash. Whenever he tried to ignore his love, guilt would consume him. It would cause more negative thoughts to whirl around in his mind. Ideas about how much of a burden he was to Ash, how insufficient he was to Ash. Eiji knew he didn't belong in Ash's life; Eiji knew he got in the way most of the time, but he was beginning to believe it was okay. Now that Ash was stabbed, it made him doubt himself all over again.

Somewhere along the trip back to Ash, he fell into a dreamless sleep, his anxiety finally exhausting him. His restlessness and overthinking thoughts made it hard to become peaceful in his rest. It also didn't help that he had just slept for roughly fourteen hours. By the time he came to, he had three more hours left on his flight. He glanced at the man next to him, who was reading a book. The man noticed his stare and made eye contact with him. He gave a little wave to Eiji, who gave a shy smile back.

"Hello," the man had dark brown hair and eyes that matched the color. He had a prominent jawline, expressive eyes, and a crooked grin. He was classically attractive, but Eiji's eyes were drawn to the millions of freckles outstretched over his entire body. Eiji pictured Ash was the man sitting beside him, reading a book with his circle glasses resting on his nose. While Eiji teased him about how old he looked with them on. 

"Hi, I'm Eiji Okumura," he replied.

"Theodore Walters," they shook each other's hand, but Theodore held on a little longer. Eiji's clammy, delicate hand clutched in Theo's muscled hand. He didn't let go until Eiji uncomfortably tried to pull his hand away, which Theodore allowed.

"It's nice to meet you," Eiji said uncertainty thick in his tone. Theodore did not seem to pick up on Eiji's discomfort.

"You've been a little spacey this entire flight, something on your mind?" Theo obviously held no shame in being a nosy person.

"Oh, you could tell," Eiji gave a nervous laugh, not really in the mood to drop his entire life story to a stranger on a plane. "It's nothing really. I just don't like flying."

"Awe, don't lie, tell me what's bothering you. People have said I'm a great listener." Eiji stared at disbelief and opened his mouth to tell him off; however, he stopped himself before he could speak. Eiji reasoned that he probably would feel better if he released his feelings, and talking to strangers would be better than a friend. Eiji didn't want to explode on himself when he saw Ash; he would rather be calm. Talking out his feelings might just help.

"Fine – my friend was just stabbed, and I'm on my way to visit him in the hospital," it felt like a weight was lifted off Eiji's chest. "He's not just any friend, he means a lot to me, and I finally realized that I'm in love with him. I just haven't had the chance to tell him, and I'm scared I'm going to lose my chance forever. I can't handle losing him. I just-" his voice broke off, "I love him so much; I don't think I'll ever love someone like this ever again. I don't even want to love anyone else; Ash is the one for me. There's a myth in Japan about the red string of fate. It's said that everyone is connected to another person by this string. The connected couple are perfect matches for each other. Each is the other's half. Most people never meet their other half, but some lucky few do. If soulmates exist - I just know he's mine. I've always been drawn to him; he's the only one who's made me feel complete. I can't lose him when we haven't experienced life together. It would break me. It would ruin me." He left off his sentence with a loud, wet sob. Theodore seemed surprised but gently placed his hand on Eiji's arm. Eiji flinched away, which made Theodore retract his hand. "I'm sorry, please just ignore me."

Eiji turned to rest his head on the window; he took a deep, shuddering breath and closed his eyes. Eiji focused on calming his breathing and eventually was entirely calm; however, he refused to look back at Theodore. He was humiliated. He just broke down in front of a complete stranger. During his speech, Eiji had forgotten Theodore was even there. He was caught up in his head that he fazed Theodore out. Even though he felt ashamed, he was glad he spoke because he felt a lot better than before.

The rest of the flight passed in a blur; before he knew it, the doors to the plane were open, and people started to exit. Eiji grabbed his bag and tried to advert his eyes from Theodore. Theodore seemed to get the message and didn't try to talk to him again. They followed each other off the plane in awkward silence, even though they were surrounded by many people. Eiji was impatiently tapping his foot in the aisle; the quicker he got off the plane, the quicker he got to Ash.

Once off the plane, Eiji rushed to the front of the airport to hail a cab. An arm reached out and grabbed him. Eiji whirled around to face to Theodore, who smirked down at him. "You're prettier than they said," Eiji ripped his arm out of his hold and watched Theodore disappear into the crowd. Eiji shook his head and rushed away from the direction Theodore left. He tried to shove all thoughts of Theo away; he was probably just a creepy man. Eiji had certainly had his fair share of harmless creeps in the short time he had been in New York.

Eiji pulled out his phone and dialed Max's number while he hailed his cab. Almost automatically, a taxi pulled up to pick him up, he threw his bag in and held his hand up at the cab driver. The man impatiently rolled his eyes at Eiji and tapped on his watch. "Eiji? Where are you? I got a call from Shunichi saying that you-"Eiji cut him off.

"Which hospital is Ash in?"

"New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Why it's not like you're in the states? Or- "Eiji hung up the phone and told the cab driver the hospital name. The driver just grunted at him and pulled off the curb. Eiji made a mental note to apologize to Max when he saw him for hanging up and interrupting him so often. Eiji held his head in his hands and tried to stop the anxious pacing of his own heart. The closer he got to Ash, the more active his heart became.

Thankfully the hospital was not far away from the airport; unthankfully, however, the traffic in the city was awful. What should have been a 20-minute drive was quickly becoming an hour wait. When Eiji was a mile from the hospital, he grabbed his bag and threw a handful of cash at the driver. He jumped out of the car and narrowly avoided being hit by a couple cars. He took off in a sprint once he was on the sidewalk, breathing out "excuse me"s and "sorry"s as he ran through the crowd of people.

As he ran, Eiji wondered if this is what Ash did when he brought himself to the hospital. The pain Ash must have gone through to make sure he survived. Eiji was going to make it all up to him. He would never leave Ash Lynx behind again. They would travel together as one. Sweat and tears poured down Eiji's face; they mixed into a salty mess, leaving streaks as they dripped off. Eiji didn't care about his appearance. The only thing he cared about was Ash's wellbeing.

His face broke out into a smile as he came to the hospital. Eiji didn't stop running until he was outside the doors. Eiji slowed his pace down ran through the glass doors. The lady at the receptionist's desk gave Eiji a disgusted look as he got closer to her. Eiji gave a couple loud heaves as he placed his head between his knees.

"Are you alright, sir?" the woman asked, once Eiji calmed down enough he wiped his face off and looked up at her.

"I need to see Ash Lynx. He was admitted yesterday." Eiji gripped the desk in wait, impatiently switching foot to foot.

"I'm sorry there's no one registered with that name," Eiji stared at her in confusion, "Are you positive? My friend said this is where he was, can you please check again?" The woman stared at him with undisguised pity and sighed, "I'll check again, but I promise you if I didn't find him the first time he's not here. Are you sure that's the name he would be checked in as?" Eiji looked at her for a second before nodding his head, "he could be checked in under Aslan Jade Callenreese, that's his real name." The woman tutted and typed the name into the registry.

"Ah, Hah! I found him, he's in room 361, which is on the third floor." Eiji went to walk away from the desk, but he turned to look at her.

"Do you know his condition?" the woman's eyes shone with sympathy as she answered. "All I know is that he's alive, what's your name, sweetie? You need a visitor's pass."

"Eiji Okumura."

"Relation to the patient." Eiji thought for a moment, what was his relationship with Ash. They were more than friends, but they weren't dating. Eiji and Ash counted each other as their family, but they were neither legally nor genetically related.

"Ash is my- "Eiji choked upon his words, "boyfriend." The woman gave him a kind smile as she handed Eiji his visitor's badge.

"Thank you," Eiji called back to her as he ran to the elevators. Eiji pressed the button a couple times and paced out front of the doors. He watched as the elevator slowly descended to his floor. Eiji let the other people exit the elevator before he entered, he hit the third-floor button and waited. His heart lurched with the elevator as he ascended to his destination. The doors opened to his fate; he staggered out of the metal box, the stress of the situation finally dawning on him. He followed the corridor until he found Ash's room. The door was pulled shut, and Eiji couldn't hear anything when he pressed his ear against it.

Eiji's clammy hand found the knob, and he pushed himself in. Ash's bed was in the middle of the small hospital room. Eiji looked to the right of the bed and saw Max and Jessica sitting there, both got up to stop him. He forced himself through their hold as his eyes locked with the figure in the bed. The person in the bed was extremely pale. His cracked lips parted over the tube that was invading his mouth. His eyes were lightly shut, but there was no sign of movement under them. The figure looked like a corpse, the only sign of life was the slight rise and fall of his chest.

Eiji fell to his knees as he clasped the cold hand, resting off the bed's side. Eiji pressed his face into the limp hand, trying to share his warmth.

"Ash," Eiji choked out. 


End file.
